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Sunday 27th February 2000. Well I have had my VN800 nearly 6 months now, have I had any problems?? Not at all, although at one point, I thought I had. My bike has done 1,500 miles, and I noticed that a small translucent bottle, (big word bottle), at the left and to the bottom of the radiator looking from the front, was about 1/4 to 1/2 full of a milky, creamy fluid. The bottle is attached by a rubber tube and wire twist to the base of the airbox, so I figured it must be some sort of drain. Anyway, I removed it, and cleaned it out with warm water and washing up liquid, then shook it dry, and reattached it. Not having a workshop manual, (come on, it's a new bike!!), I posted the dire question to the VRA Newsgroup, "do I have a dodgy bike?" No was the resounding reply, thanks to Tweek over in the US of A, my question and his reply is posted here: At 03:13 PM
2/20/00 -0000, you wrote: So, all is well, I have kept the chain well lubed with T45, and I adjusted it for the first time yesterday, it only needed three flats turn of the adjusters to bring it up to spec. I have had no problems, the motor has freed off well, smooth as ever, with the small Givi screen, 80mph cruising is no trouble, fuel consumption is in the 50mpg range, so here's looking for a good summer. Thanks to all those that have taken a peek at my site, I have averaged around 25-30 hits per day, so I hope it has been of some use to those of you thinking of buying a VN800, I will report the bad as well as the good, but there's been no bad yet. I will be back with any updates as they happen. Friday 10th March 2000. Just a little update, had an oil and filter change today, no it's not done 4,000 miles yet, just 1,800. But, as its been winter, and she's spent a lot of time idle in the garage, and I'm a bit paranoid about grungy oil, I thought what the hell. So, she's had 3 litres of Motul 3100 10w/40w Synthetic poured down her throat, and I'm sure she's running smoother still. Also bought a workshop manual
today, (to feed that paranoia), its from Clymer in the US, but surprise, surprise, it also caters for
UK models, how about that Haynes? By the way, I contacted Haynes
to see if they covered the VN800, and no they don't, and have no
intention of doing so in the next 6-9 months. Well that's no
surprise seeing as the VN800 has only been in production since
1995. The manual is excellent value at £19.99, and guest what,
no VAT. If you wish to purchase this manual, ask at any reputable
bookshop, or bike shop for Clymer manual M354, or
ISBN-0-89287-718-9 Friday 31st March 2000. Bought a Highway Hawk chrome radiator cover today, the wire grill covering the radiator always looked a bit weedy to me, the chrome cover sets off the front end nicely now, very neat. Friday 7th April 2000. Purchased, a pair of Highway Hawk saddlebag support brackets, and a pair of leather saddlebags. She looks a bit more like a cruiser now, just a few more bits to buy, and she'll look the dog's dangly bits. Tuesday 18th April 2000. Passed my IAM Advanced Motorcycle
test today. To be honest, it was the worst run that I have
undertaken since starting training, and I have completed four
observed runs previously to taking my test. Perhaps it was
nerves, having a Police Class 1 Motorcyclist right behind me, and
I mean right behind me on some occasions. Anyway, as they used to
tell me at school, a pass is a pass, and I don't have to do it
again. I will draw on my bad day as an experience, and never ride
so badly again, it couldn't have been that bad I suppose, or I
wouldn't have passed. So, onward and upward, its all done now,
onto the next stage now, I will train to become an Observer
myself, that is after I've done my Advanced Car Test. If anyone
is interested in taking their advanced test in the UK, go to the Tuesday 11th July 2000. I went into Cruise UK today for my usual social visit, have a brew, and chat bikes, only to be told that Mark Turner had been killed in a tragic domestic accident. I was stunned, Mark was only 25, and a real decent guy to boot, I'll miss seeing him. Sunday 23rd July 2000. Memorial Run to remember Mark Turner of Cruise UK. We met at Cruise UK at 1000am, roughly 70 bikes, and took a ride up to the church where Mark had been laid to rest. From the church, we ran 60 miles to Devil's Bridge, Trough of Bowland. After a break, and a brew, and a look at all the bikes, we ran into the Lakes ending up at Great Langdale, stopping at a pre-arranged pub for a bite to eat, and a drink. A total run mileage of about 220 miles, the only bad part of the day, was that Mark was not there to ride with us. Monday 24th July 2000. Took my VN800 in for her 4,000 mile service today, the only additional work I wanted carrying out was for the rear suspension preload to be up rated from Kawasaki's factory setting, which as it turns out is the softest setting. The rear shock has seven settings, so I decided to have mine jacked up to number 5, as I weigh around 225lbs. I thought the handling was OK before this alteration, but it's definitely improved things over pot-holes, and in fast undulating corners, much better. Other than that, she's still running as well as I when I bought her. Wednesday 26th July 2000. Received my MAG membership card today, I don't know if my joining will make a difference, but it's a worthy organisation, and one of the few that stands up for biker's rights in the UK. Saturday 9th September 2000. Went to Stormin' the Castle 2000 MAG Rally near Bishop Auckland for the weekend with Mo. We had a great time, met up with the guys, and gals from the VRA-UK, plus Kev, and Lucy on their Suzuki Marauder VZ800, (hi Kev, and Lucy). Fantastic weekend, also joined NABD National Association for Bikers with a Disability, a very worthy cause. Also discovered that Cruise UK had finally opened their website, congrats to them, you will find links to their site here. Friday 10th November 2000. Had a new exhaust system fitted today, a Sito Silvertail, at Cruise UK. Superb, she finally sounds like a real bike!!!! The system has one real advantage over most after market systems, in that it comes with a removable baffle, plus a BSI Kitemarked replacement end cap, that is fully road legal, and can be fitted come MOT time. All this for £280 fitted, magic........ Monday 29th January 2001. My new seat arrived today, courtesy of Custom Cruisers, a Travelcade Desperado. The stock seat had got to be a pain in the butt, literally!!!! After an hour in the saddle, my rear had, had enough, so I decided to change the seat for something a little more comfortable. A Mustang Wide Vintage was my first choice, but simply too expensive, somewhere in the region of £450. So after shopping around, Custom Cruisers of Derbyshire had a Travelcade item on offer for £139, big difference. It seems firmer than the standard seat, but offers more support, I'll add a write up after I've had chance to try her on a longer run, but at the moment, the weather is against me. Watch this space...... Tuesday 28th August 2001. Sorry there have been no updates for a while, but I'm back in the land of the employed again, so there has not been a lot of time for the site. I've just had a service done at Cruise UK, (£59, good price), at 6,500 miles. The Travelcade Desperado is doing well, it's a lot firmer than the original, and a little narrower. At first it seems less comfy than the stock seat, but after an hour or so on the road, "numb bum" syndrome is kept at bay, so firmer is better!! I've also buckled to public pressure, (my neighbours), and put the baffles supplied with my Sito exhaust in on the last service. She doesn't sound quite so sweet, but a lot more legal, and less attractive to those blokes in funny coloured cars with the flashing lights on the roof. She's covered nearly 7,000 miles now, and running as well as the day I bought her, (nearly two years now). The paintwork has held up well, and the only problem I've had with the chrome is the mirrors have pitted where the rubber holding the mirrors contacts the metalwork. I'll probably replace the mirrors with a couple of Highway Hawk items, I'll let you know. A couple of surprising things from the service, the chain has only been adjusted once in all the time I've owned her, so thats either a good chain, or I'm a wuss with the throttle. The Bridgestone Extradas are lasting well, the rear probably has another 3,000 miles or so left in it, and the front appears not to have worn at all. I'll be posting some more pics soon, I've just invested in a digital camera, so I won't have to keep waiting to get films processed, plus I won't have the job of scanning them in. Thats all for now, I'll make sure I post more frequently. Keep an eye on Vulcan Velvet, more bikes have been added, plus more are to come. I'd also like to add a big thank you to all the emails I have received asking about the bike, and for the support the site has had. Keep writing, I do reply...eventually. Saturday 8th September 2001.
I had some good news this week. After many months of classroom sessions, exams, and evening drives, I passed my diploma with the Bolton Advanced Motorists Group. In the picture can be seen my various certificates. To the left is my certificate for advanced car driving, the upper centre is my diploma, underneath is my certificate of competence as an observer with the Bolton Group, and on the right is my certificate for advanced motorcycle riding. Sunday 7th October 2001. I updated my photo page today, (all thumbnailed), plus added some new pics. My Vulcan is 2 years old now, and has 7,000 miles on the clock, and still looking good. The only wear, and tear that is showing is some very slight pitting on the front wheel rim, plus the chrome backs on the mirrors, not too bad. The engine still runs like new, and overall I am more than pleased with my Vulcan. Saturday 11th January 2002 Well sorry folks, the VN is about to be replaced, so there are not going to be any more updates, although because of the work involved, and thanks to the number of hits I have received from around the World my VN pages are here to stay. Again a big thank you to all those that have visited me over the last couple of years, and for the great emails I have received. If you want to see my new beast, either click here, or go to my home page. Cheers, Steve.
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